TONIGHT'S GAMEThe Rangers play their eighth game of the 2017-18 season tonight, Oct. 19, against the New York Islanders in a Metropolitan Division matchup at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET - TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 1050 AM). Tonight's game is the third contest of the Blueshirts' season-long, six-game homestand, and the Rangers will play five of their next six games at MSG. In addition, tonight's contest is the fourth of four consecutive games the Rangers are playing against Metropolitan Division opponents.

RANGERS VS. ISLANDERS

All-Time: 125-110-19-8 (71-44-11-5 at home; 54-66-8-3 on the road)

2017-18: Tomorrow's game is the first of four meetings between the Rangers and Islanders, and the first of two meetings between the two teams at MSG. Following tomorrow's contest, the Rangers and Islanders will play against each other on the following dates: Jan. 13 (at MSG), Feb. 15 (at Brooklyn), Apr. 5 (at Brooklyn).

2016-17: The Rangers posted a 1-3-0 record (1-1-0 at home; 0-2-0 on the road). All four contests were decided by two or fewer goals. Mats Zuccarello, Nick Holden, Chris Kreider, Rick Nash, Brady Skjei, and Mika Zibanejad all tied for the team lead with three points in the season series. Zuccarello and Jimmy Vesey tied for the team lead with two goals in four contests. Skjei and Zibanejad tied for first among all skaters on both teams in assists in the season series.

The Rangers have earned at least one point in 16 of their last 27 games against the Islanders, dating back to Nov. 15, 2011 (13-11-3 record over the span).

RANGERS-ISLANDERS CONNECTIONS

Michael Grabner played five seasons with the Islanders (2010-11 - 2014-15).

Islanders Assistant General Manager and Head Coach Doug Weight played parts of three seasons with the Rangers (1990-91 - 1992-93).

Islanders Assistant Coach Scott Gomez played two seasons with the Rangers (2007-08 and 2008-09).

Ondrej Pavelec and Andrew Ladd were teammates with the Thrashers/Jets for parts of six seasons (2010-11 - 2015-16).

Rick Nash and Jason Chimera were teammates with the Blue Jackets for parts of five seasons (2005-06 - 2009-10).

Kevin Shattenkirk and Jaroslav Halak were teammates with the Blues for parts of four seasons (2010-11 - 2013-14).

Steven Kampfer, Johnny Boychuk, and Dennis Seidenberg were all teammates with the Bruins for parts of two seasons (2010-11 and 2011-12).

Mika Zibanejad and Shane Prince were teammates with the Senators for parts of two seasons (2014-15 and 2015-16).

Steven Kampfer and Cal Clutterbuck were teammates with the Wild for part of one season (2011-12).

David Desharnais and Jordan Eberle were teammates with the Oilers for part of one season (2016-17).

David Desharnais and Jaroslav Halak were teammates with the Canadiens for part of one season (2009-10).

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. ISLANDERS

Henrik Lundqvist - 56 GP, 30-19-6, 2.29 GAA, .919 SV%, 5 SO - Lundqvist has allowed two goals or fewer in 34 of 56 career appearances against the Islanders.

Rick Nash - 29 GP, 11-10-21 - Nash enters the contest with a three-game point streak against the Islanders (one goal, two assists). Since he joined the Rangers prior to the start of the 2012-13 season, Nash has recorded 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 20 games against the Islanders.

Kevin Shattenkirk - 9 GP, 3-8-11 - Shattenkirk has tallied a point in six of his last seven games against the Islanders (three goals, seven assists) and has posted three multi-point games over the span.

David Desharnais - 19 GP, 4-11-15 - Desharnais has recorded seven points (four goals, three assists) in his last 10 games against the Islanders.

Mika Zibanejad - 15 GP, 3-7-10 - Zibanejad has registered a point in seven of his last nine contests against the Islanders, recording eight points (one goal, seven assists) over the span.

Marc Staal - 46 GP, 5-14-19 - Staal has tallied more goals, assists, and points against the Islanders than against any other opponent in his NHL career. He has registered a point in five of his last nine games against the Islanders (two goals, three assists).

Chris Kreider - 19 GP, 4-9-13 - Kreider has recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in his last 10 games against the Islanders, including three points (one goal, two assists) in his last four contests against the Islanders.

RANGERS CONNECTIONS (IN ADDITION TO CURRENTLY PLAYING WITH THE BLUESHIRTS)

Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Shattenkirk have represented the United States together in several tournaments, including the 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2011 IIHF World Championship, the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championship. McDonagh, Shattenkirk, and Chris Kreider were all teammates with Team USA at the 2011 IIHF World Championship.

Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith were teammates at the University of Wisconsin for three seasons (2007-08 - 2009-10).

Paul Carey, Chris Kreider, and Kevin Hayes were all teammates at Boston College for two seasons (2010-11 and 2011-12) and helped Boston College win the National Championship in 2011-12; Carey and Kreider were teammates for three seasons (2009-10 - 2011-12) and helped Boston College win two National Championships (2009-10 and 2011-12).

Kevin Hayes and Jimmy Vesey were friends growing up in Massachusetts.

J.T. Miller and Jimmy Vesey helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Kevin Hayes and Brady Skjei represented the United States at the 2017 IIHF World Championship.

Michael Grabner's first head coach in the NHL was Alain Vigneault (2009-10 with Vancouver).

Paul Carey and Nick Holden were teammates with Colorado for parts of two seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15).

Paul Carey and Kevin Shattenkirk were teammates with Washington for part of one season (2016-17).

Nick Holden and Rick Nash were teammates with Columbus for part of one season (2010-11).

Adam Cracknell and Kevin Shattenkirk were teammates with the Blues for parts of four seasons (2010-11 - 2013-14).

Adam Cracknell was coached by Lindy Ruff in Dallas during the 2016-17 season.

Kevin Shattenkirk is a native of New Rochelle, New York. He was a Rangers fan growing up, and his favorite player was Brian Leetch.

GOALS GALOREThrough seven games this season, 11 different Rangers have registered at least one goal. The Blueshirts are tied for seventh in the NHL in players who have recorded at least one goal in 2017-18.

EVEN IT UPThe Rangers are one of eight NHL teams that have at least 10 players who have registered an even strength goal in 2017-18.

FOUR SCOREThe Rangers tallied four goals on Oct. 17 vs. Pittsburgh. The Blueshirts have recorded four or more goals in 19 of 46 games at MSG since the start of last season (41.3% of games).

HOME COOKINGNew York continues its season-long, six-game homestand tomorrow. The homestand is the Rangers' longest since their franchise-record, nine-game homestand from Dec. 7, 2013 - Dec. 23, 2013. The Rangers play 10 of their first 13 games, as well as 13 of their first 18 games, this season at MSG.

10-IN-10The Rangers are playing 10 home games in October this season. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, New York has posted an 11-5-2 record at MSG in October.

SHOOTING GALLERYThe Blueshirts have registered at least 30 shots on goal in each of the last four games and in six of seven games in 2017-18. The Rangers rank 11th in the NHL in shots on goal per game in 2017-18 (33.3).

HOT AT THE DOTThe Rangers have won 52.2% of faceoffs taken through six games this season (222-for-425), including 57.0% of faceoffs taken in the defensive zone. New York ranks 11th in the NHL in faceoff win percentage thus far this season.

STAYING DISCIPLINEDThe Blueshirts rank 11th in the NHL in fewest penalty minutes per game thus far this season (9:08). The Rangers recorded the third-fewest penalty minutes in the NHL (593) and were tied for fifth in the league in fewest times shorthanded (223) in 2016-17.

AV SQUADAlain Vigneault has earned 615 career wins as an NHL head coach, and he is two wins away from tying Jacques Lemaire for 13th place on the league's all-time wins list among head coaches. Vigneault leads all Rangers head coaches (min. 100 games coached) in points percentage in franchise history (.619).

KING HENRIKHenrik Lundqvist has allowed two goals or fewer in three of his last four appearances, posting a 2.27 GAA, a .931 SV% (122 saves on 131 shots), and 1 SO in the four contests. He enters the game with 406 career NHL wins, and he is one win away from tying Glenn Hall for ninth place on the NHL's all-time wins list. Lundqvist earned his 62nd career NHL shutout on Oct. 8 vs. Montreal, passing Turk Broda for sole possession of 16th place on the NHL's all-time shutouts list.

IT'S MILLER TIMEJ.T. Miller tied a single-game career-high with three points (one goal, two assists) on Oct. 17 vs. Pittsburgh. He has registered an assist/point in four of the last six games (two goals, five assists over the span), and he leads the Rangers in points this season (seven). Miller also ranks third in the NHL (min. 60 faceoffs taken) in faceoff win percentage this season (64.5%; 40-for-62), and he has posted a 77.8% faceoff win percentage on defensive zone faceoffs (14-for-18).

MIKA MAGICMika Zibanejad recorded a goal/point in each of the Rangers' first four games in 2017-18, tallying five goals in the four contests. Zibanejad's four-game goal streak was a career-high, and he became the second player in Rangers history to record a goal in each of the team's first four games of a season (Rick Nash - 2014-15). He is tied for the NHL lead in power play goals (four), ranks fourth in shots on goal (31), is tied for fourth in power play points (five), and is tied for fifth in goals (five) this season. Zibanejad is also tied for second in the NHL in games with a goal this season (four).

RICK ROLLINGRick Nash tallied his first goal of the 2017-18 season on Oct. 14 vs. New Jersey. Nash, who enters the contest with 996 career NHL games played, is tied for fourth in the NHL in takeaways (eight) and is tied for fifth in the NHL in shots on goal (29) this season.

SHATT STATSKevin Shattenkirk has tallied a point in five of seven games this season (two goals, four assists). He is tied for third among NHL defensemen in power play points this season (four), and he leads Rangers defensemen in goals, assists, and points in 2017-18.

WELCOME MATSMats Zuccarello tallied five points (one goal, four assists) through the first two games this season and became the first Ranger to register five points in the first two games of a season since Bernie Nicholls in 1990-91. He is tied for the team lead in assists this season (five), and he is also tied for fifth in the NHL in power play assists in 2017-18 (four).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Power Play:

The Rangers were 2-for-6 (8:01) on Oct. 17 vs. Pittsburgh.

The Blueshirts rank 11th in the NHL in power play efficiency this season (24.1%; 7-for-29).

The Rangers have tallied a power play goal in four of seven games this season.

Penalty Kill:

The Rangers were 2-for-3 (5:26) on Oct. 17 vs. Pittsburgh.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Ondrej Pavelec - 2 saves away from 10,000 in his NHL career

Rick Nash - 4 games away from 1,000 in his NHL career

Marc Staal - 4 games away from 700 in his NHL career

Kevin Shattenkirk - 3 games away from 500 in his NHL career

Chris Kreider - 4 assists away from 100 in his NHL career

Brady Skjei - 6 games away from 100 in his NHL career

Mika Zibanejad - 6 points away from 200 in his NHL career

Nick Holden - 5 points away from 100 in his NHL career

INJURIES (5 Man-Games Lost to Injury)

None

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

None

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY

Oct. 18, 1926 - The Rangers purchased the contracts of brothers Bill Cook and Bun Cook from Saskatoon of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Oct. 18, 1952 - Harry Howell made his NHL debut and registered his first career NHL goal/point as the Rangers faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto.

Oct. 19, 1960 - Jack McCartan, the gold medal-winning goaltender for the 1960 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team, earned his first career NHL shutout by stopping all 19 shots he faced as the Rangers defeated Chicago, 2-0, at MSG.

Oct. 19, 1989 - Mike Richter made his first career NHL regular season start and earned his first career NHL win, stopping 24 of 27 shots he faced as the Rangers defeated the Hartford Whalers, 7-3, at MSG. Richter also prevented Hartford's Kevin Dineen from scoring on a penalty shot attempt in the contest.

Oct. 19, 2014 - Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash tallied goals four seconds apart, tying the Rangers record for the fastest two goals. The Blueshirts defeated the San Jose Sharks, 4-0, at MSG.